Family Law: France’s Socialist government has dropped plans to change family law this year after this weekends protests

According to a source in Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault’s office, the government wills no longer present a bill this year, which was aimed to modernizing the law to reflect the new diversity of families. Over 100,000 people in Paris and Lyon on Sunday were protesting against the government. The new law would not legalize assisted conception for lesbian couples or surrogate motherhood for gay men who desire to start a family. Some socialist lawmakers suggested they would amend the planned bill to include reforms and the government decided to announce a draft law. The draft defined the legal rights of stepparents in second marriages.

The protestors on Sunday were mainly Catholics but also Muslims. They continued to share their resentment against the legalization of gay marriage last year. Protestors accused the government of having family phobia and reassured that the family laws would not include the reforms relating to gay parenthood were lies. The only thing that French law allows is the assisted reproduction for married couples with serious infertility problems. All of these issues have showed that President Francois Holland’s popularity is at an historic low. Municipal elections are coming up next month, which isn’t good for him since there are very angry citizens and voters.

“The government will not submit a family reform bill before the end of the year,” the prime minister’s office said. This clearly encouraged Holland on back down on family law reforms after the protests.

Ludovine de la Rochere, the head of the Manif Pour Tous movement whom organized the protestor demonstrations said that the government’s decisions were a victory for the conservative movement. Emmanuelle Cosse, the head of the governments Green Party coalition allies suggested for the Socialist to reconsider. The protests have been driven by claims that the new modules being introduced in primary schools will result in children of all ages being encouraged to reject gender identities and diversities.